01/29/2007

Student Symposium 2007

Centre for Earth and Environmental Technologies

01/29/2007

Assisted Target Detection for Search and RescueFebruary 7, 2007

Vladimir MagdinM.Sc. Student

Where Next Happens

Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC)•Provides scientific and technological support to the Canadian Forces.

Array Systems Computing•Specializes in computationally intensive, real-time digital signal processing systems

Partners and Collaborators

Partners and Collaborators

Researcher Position % Research Time

Dr. James Elder Principal Investigator 20%

Vladimir Magdin M.Sc. Student 75%

Dr. Bob Hou Senior Research Associate 20%

Dr. Francisco Estrada Postdoctoral Fellow 10%

Researcher Position % Research Time

Kevin Cannons PhD Student 20%

Alumni

York University Personnel

Goal:

To develop assisted target detection (ATD) algorithms that will improve human target detection performance

Major Tasks:

• Design and implement algorithms that can incorporate cues from various imaging sources to establish spatial probability distributions

• Research the optimal methods of visualizing the spatial probabilities

Original Project Goals

Task Description Start Finish

Recruit Personnel

Recruit a postdoctoral fellow, a computer vision and a psychology graduate student

Nov 05 Mar 06

Complete legal agreements

Prepare and sign NDAs and IP agreements between York and Array, allowing sharing of source code

Nov 05 Dec 05

Single-frame algorithm development

Develop and evaluate single-frame statistical target models. Transfer MATLAB code to Array for integration and testing.

Dec 05 Mar 06

Milestones

Task Description Start Finish

Continuous algorithm development

Acquire new search-and-rescue data, and develop foreground and background models by integrating motion and temporal cues. Transfer MATLAB code to Array for integration and testing.

Apr 07 Dec 07

Develop and evaluate visualization methods

Develop psychophysical methodology for visualization of target probability data onto incoming visual data stream. Conduct human-in-the-loop evaluation experiments using the search and rescue simulator

Dec 06 Dec 07

Final system integration and reporting

Refine complete software system, including ATD and visualization algorithms. Transfer final MATLAB/C++ source code to Array for integration and testing.

Dec 07 Mar 08

Milestones

Technology

Current Technology

• Nonparametric models of target and background pixel statistics.

Future Directions

• Incorporation of motion cues

• Incorporation of shape cues

• Multiclass learning and identification

Current Status

Database

• Obtained and analyzed a new dataset

• Performed manual segmentation and labeling of the ground truth

• Compiled a train/test ATD database

Algorithm

• Developed proof-of-concept intensity statistics algorithms• Successfully transferred code to Array Systems Computing to

demonstrate real time performance

Deliverables:

• Assisted target detection algorithms

• Assisted target detection software (MATLAB and/or C++)

• A demonstration of ATD software integrated with Array Systems proprietary hardware for real-time operation

• Results of human-in-the-loop experiments using the ATD technology at the DRDC SAR simulation system

Additional Outcomes:

• Publications on Assisted Target Detection algorithms

• Publications on Search and Rescue Simulation results

Project Outcome

End Users

Primary Applications

Search and Rescue

• The Canadian Forces: Primarily responsible for aeronautical search-and-rescue services in Canada and up to 1,000 nautical miles off our coastlines

Other Air-to-Ground Surveillance

Accomplishments after One Fiscal Year

Following a joint meeting at Valcartier involving both AIMS and ALERT TD projects, we have agreed to collaborate with the ALERT TD project on defining and evaluating ATD algorithms for visual surveillance.

Success Story

There is a strong likelihood that the AIMS project will be extended and will lead to follow-on projects at DRDC. We are exploring the possibility of reprofiling our project to spread DRDC funding out to March 2009. We hope to continue to work with DRDC beyond this date. Depending on the outcome of the current project we may seek next-stage support from OCE for this follow-on work.

What is Next